82 Characters, All With A Story
by 922cf
Summary: There are 82 characters in the Hunger Games series. Each one of them have a crucial part in their lives. Here they are. *Spoiler Alert!* I do not own anything, Suzanne Collins does. Please do not tell me I have missed out on a character, I already know, and have not included them for a reason.
1. List Of Chapters

**This collection of one-shots is about every character in the series that I know of. It will start with Annie Cresta. The first chapter will be the list of people I am writing about, then tonight, I will post the first real chapter. Please let me know if I missed anyone.**

**Annie Cresta**

**Atala**

**Beetee**

**Boggs**

**Bonnie**

**Brutus**

**Buttercup**

**Caesar Flickerman**

**Cashmere**

**Castor**

**Cato**

**Cecelia**

**Chaff**

**Cinna**

**Claudius Templesmith**

**Clove**

**Cray**

**Cressida**

**Darius**

**Delly Cartwright**

**Dr. Aurelius**

**Effie Trinket**

**Enobaria**

**Female Morphling**

**Finnick Odair**

**Flavius**

**Fulvia**

**Gale Hawthorne**

**Glimmer**

**Gloss**

**Greasy Sae**

**Haymitch Abernathy**

**Hazelle Hawthorne**

**Homes**

**Jackson**

**Johanna Mason**

**Katniss and Peeta's Daughter**

**Katniss and Peeta's Son**

**Katniss Everdeen**

**Lavinia**

**Leeg 1**

**Leeg 2**

**Leevy**

**Lyme**

**Madge Undersee**

**Mags**

**Male Morphling**

**Marvel**

**Mayor Undersee**

**Maysilee Donner**

**Messalla**

**Mitchell**

**Mr. Everdeen**

**Mr. Mellark**

**Mrs. Everdeen**

**Mrs. Mellark**

**Mrs. Undersee**

**Octavia**

**Paylor**

**Peeta Mellark**

**Plutarch Heavansbee**

**Pollux**

**Portia**

**Posy Hawthorne**

**President Coin**

**President Snow**

**Primrose Everdeen**

**Purnia**

**Ripper**

**Romulus Thread**

**Rory Hawthorne**

**Rue**

**Seeder**

**Seneca Crane**

**Thresh**

**Tigris**

**Titus**

**Twill**

**Venia**

**Vick Hawthorne**

**Wiress**

**Woof **


	2. Annie Cresta

My dad throws me a net. I catch it and my fingers get tangled in the rough twine. "Get in the water and fish! You don't want us to starve, do you?" I know he realizes I don't know how to use a net, I only make them. He walks back home, probably to drink more. I wade into the warm knee-high water, toss the net out and let it sink. I am only going by what I see my dad do, and I haven't seen him fish in forever, so I am making it up as I go. I pull it quickly towards me and look hopefully into it. My heart sinks. There is nothing there. I sink down into the water and close my eyes. Ripples spread out all around me, making slight waves. Eventually, the water settles and a feeling of peace fills me up. I might as well get some rest before Dad comes back, yells at me, and takes me home, only for me to receive another round of bruises.

I am woken up by the slight rippling of water. I sit up abruptly, afraid it is my father. I slowly turn and see it is Finnick Odair, the newest victor of the Hunger Games. He has a smirk on his face that all new victors have. A smirk that says I am better, stronger, and smarter than you because I won the Hunger Games.

"Looks like you didn't catch anything. Need help?" I sit there, probably staring at him like some mentally challenged person. I shake my head quickly and get up.

"Um, sure. But we should probably hurry; my father is going to be coming back soon. He wants me to learn by myself."

"Well, then give me that net. I can catch anything." He takes the net and throws it out and lets it sit for a while. He motions for me to sit down next to him. I do and he begins to talk.

"Why are you so scared of your dad? When you mentioned him, you looked terrified. Why?"

I sigh. "It's complicated. He drinks all the time, so we don't have any money. And when he is drunk, he gets…violent." I pull off my shirt, revealing my green bikini and bruised shoulders, back, and stomach. Finnick's eyebrows shoot up and he scoots closer, examining the bruises.

"You shouldn't let him do this to you. You need to stand up for yourself." He picks his hand out of the water and slowly moves it towards the purple bruises. I flinch and he looks at me. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you." I nod and he moves his hand closer. He touches the biggest bruise with the gentlest touch. "Seriously. This is bad. You need to get out of there as soon as possible. Or at least tell the authorities. He needs to be locked up for this." Finnick looks at me again and raises his eyebrows.

"I know. I'm going to go home and lock myself in my room. If I need to go out, I'll go out through the window. I promise I will distance myself from him as much as possible. I just…..I just can't move out. He needs me. If it wasn't for me, he would starve to death." Finnick sighs and looks down into the crystal clear water.

"What's your name?"

"What?" I ask.

"What is your name?" He questions once more.

"Annie. Annie Cresta. Why?" I tilt my head and he looks at me,

"Because Annie Cresta, I like you. I don't want you to get hurt. If you ever need anything, anything at all, come to my house in Victor's Village. It's number 12. Just knock. Or if I'm not there, just come in. I leave the door unlocked all the time. Seriously Annie, just come. Even if you just need to talk, I'm there for you. Okay?" I nod.

Finnick gets up and pulls the net swiftly in. He raises it above the water and shows it to me. It is filled to the brim with fish and shell fish. My jaw drops and I look up to him. He smirks and raises an eyebrow.

"How did you do that?" I ask.

He chuckles. "Oh I don't know. I just kinda do. Maybe my good looks have something to with it." He waggles one of his eyebrows at me.

"Oh, so are you calling me ugly?" I put a hand on my hip and raise an eyebrow sassily.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." I push his shoulder playfully. He laughs and hands over the net.

I take it. Then I bow graciously and say, "Why thank you oh attractive one." He laughs even more. "Well I have to go Finnick. Soon my dad will be wondering where I am. So hopefully I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah, hopefully. Remember Annie, if you ever need help, I'm there okay?" I nod and begin to walk home. "Annie?" I turn back to him. "Be careful, okay?" I nod again and walk home, thinking of my encounter with Panem's heart throb.


	3. Atala

Atala

I step up and look out at all of the tributes for this year's Games. It is such a shame. A little girl of about twelve looks up at me with huge brown eyes. I will not be looking forward to watching this girl die. I sigh and start to introduce myself.

"Hello tributes. My name is Atala. I am head trainer here at the training center. This is obviously that. As you can see, we have many stations and obstacle courses. In each, there is at least one expert. Feel free to travel to different stations on your own, but remember your mentor's instructions. Do not, under any circumstance, engage with another tribute. We have assistants on hand if you want to practice with someone," I gesture to the "battle" stations. "Our many stations include: knot-tying, fire starting, shelter building, edible plant testing, camouflage, spear throwing, knife throwing, hand-to-hand combat, archery, weight lifting, slingshot-ing, axe throwing, mace swinging, and many more. Try to be productive and be safe."

The normal Careers district tributes are looking around, laughing. The other district tributes look scared out of their wits. Well, except for the District Twelve girl. She has no emotion on her face, as though this is a major bore. We'll see how she performs in training and in the Games. I smirk and step down to go to my station overlooking the whole center.


	4. Beetee

"Beetee, can I have another roll?" My six-year old little sister Dayta looks at me with her huge, adorable green eyes, which are rare in District Three. I sigh. She has already had four, and I have only had two. We have sixteen left for the whole day. I say yes though, because no matter what she wants, I give it to her, no matter the cost. I have begged, pleaded and even stolen for her. But she doesn't know that. Whenever I do this, I drop her off at Techa's house. She is like my sister. She is my age, sixteen. Her brothers were killed in the same electrical fire that killed my parents when Dayta was only one and I was eleven. That's when I broke into the house we live in now. It is a run-down, two story shack at the edge of the District. No body ventures out this far except Peacekeepers, and even then it is very rarely. But they do come out sometimes. And today is one of those days.

I hear heavy footsteps running. I run to the window and look out. My suspicions were correct. Ten Peacekeepers are running towards the house. I grab the rolls and Dayta in my arms and sprint out of the side door and into the huge, abandoned warehouse next to the shack. I close the doors and lay Dayta down and hand her four rolls. I put my index finger to my lips as if to say _Shh, be quiet. _"Beetee, why are we here? Can we go back to the house? It's cold." I shush her and walk over to the wall. There is a little rusted out hole that I use as a peep hole. I look out and see they are walking the length of the fence to see if anyone has caused damage to it. One woman points to the hole in the fence behind the shack. They all nod and she takes out a can of something. She takes the cap off and pushes a button. A colored spray comes out and coats the hole and surrounding fence. Once the Peacekeepers decide it is bright enough for the construction men to see, she puts the can back into its holder and they march away. I know they are done there, but I wait for another ten minutes just to be sure. By that time, Dayta is getting very antsy. Tears are welling in her eyes and her bottom lip is quivering. I rush over to her and encircle my arms around her. "Shh, Dayta. It's okay. Everything is fine. We are going to go back to the house soon." I take one quick look at the peep hole and pick her up. The doors open with a deafening screech and I rush out. I let her down and we go into the side door. Once we are in, I breathe a huge sigh of relief. They shouldn't be coming anywhere near here anytime soon. They always highlight the same hole in the fence, on the same day every year. The same construction team refuses to go and repair it, insisting that no one ever goes this far out of the district. But I have a bad feeling in my gut. I decide to let it go and go onto my normal business watching Dayta and dropping her off the Techa's so I can go work.

**I'm leaving it at this. Kind of a cliffhanger, huh? What do you think the bad feeling in his gut is about? Let me know in a review!**


	5. Boggs

We have been in the Capitol for at least five days now, and Peeta has joined out squad after Leeg 2 got killed. The camera crew wants to get some footage of the squad "fighting". They fall to the ground and dive into alcoves. It's hilarious. Mitchell tries to look desperate, but all he does is grind his teeth and flare his nostrils. I have to talk to them to stop them from laughing. "Pull it together, Four-Five-One." I am trying not to smile, but I can tell it's not working. I take out the Holo to double check the next pod. I twist it a little so I can see it better in this smoky environment. I take a step forward, hear a deafening boom and feel myself getting blown backwards.

At first, I don't feel anything. But then an excruciating pain erupts near my hips. I start groaning. I look down and see my lower body in a huge puddle of blood. Katniss reaches me first. Her face contorts into a painful expression. She looks around desperately to find something to stop the flow of blood. Homes comes next, holding a first aid kit. As he moves her away from my lower body, I grasp her wrist. I give her an order, "The Holo." I let go of her and she rushes around to find the device. She gets it and comes back to me. Homes has already put a compression bandage around the stump of my left thigh. She hands it to me and kneels beside me. I type into the machine and press my thumb to the screen. I repeat a series of letters and numbers. A green light comes on suddenly, blinding me for a second. "Unfit for command. Transfer of prime security clearance to Squad Four-Five-One Soldier Katniss Everdeen." I hold the Holo toward her face. "Say your name."

"Katniss Everdeen." She stands there, unable to do anything. Once the light disappears, she says, "What did you do?" But before I have time to answer, Jackson yells something. Both Katniss and Homes grab onto me and start dragging me. The pain is too much and I start crying out in pain.

All of a sudden, Katniss is yanked off of me. I see Peeta going after her, trying to kill her. Just as Peeta is about to bring down the butt of his gun on her skull, she rolls way. Mitchell pins Peeta to the ground. But Peeta is too strong and he flings Mitchell off of him and into a pod. I hear a loud _snap! _Anet springs out and encases him. He instantly gets bloody, and we have no idea why, but then I see the barbs sticking out of the wire. _Barbed wire_ I think. Katniss grabs me again and her and Homes drag me inside an apartment. They collapse inside the kitchen, and Katniss shrieks Gale's name. More people are coming in, choking on fumes from the black goo. I force the Holo into Katniss' hand. I try to say something to her, but she can't hear me. She leans closer I and whisper harshly. "Don't trust them. Don't go back. Kill Peeta. Do what you came to do." As she is pulling her face away, I take my last breath.


	6. Bonnie

Me and Twill have been walking away from District Eight for what seems like forever. It is cold, and considering my Peacekeeper uniform is too big on me, it provides little to no warmth. "Twill, what district did we just pass?"

"Well, considering we boarded that train and rode through all of Six, probably Eleven. I'm trying to stay close to the fence." I nod and keep walking.

We walk more. And more. And more. These shoes are not helping us move any faster also. I have fallen multiple times already. Thank God I haven't gotten any injuries. Just as I am thinking this, I fall and tumble into a ditch. Twill rushes over to me. "Bonnie, are you okay?" My ankle feels like someone took it and put it into a yarn-twisting machine. I close my eyes and try to breathe through the pain. "Bonnie?" I open my eyes and Twill is standing there, her eyes wide with worry.

"I messed up my ankle. It hurts really bad." She helps me get up, but whenever I put weight onto it, a sharp pain goes straight up my calf. But when I lean on her and stand on it, the sharp pain resides to a dull pain. "Twill, go find me a branch. Like big enough to be a cane." She has me sit down in the cover of the trees while she looks for a stick. About ten minute later, she comes back with a thick stick that comes up to about my waist. It will work perfectly for a cane. I smile at her and say, "Thanks." We keep walking until we come across a whole in the fence that leads to thick woods. We go through there and walk through the woods. I see a small concrete house ahead. "Twill, look." I point to it and she nods. We walk into it, and no one is there. She takes off her jacket and lays it on the ground for me to sit on.

"Stay here. I am going to go find some wood to make a fire." I nod and settle in. This is going to be a long, cold night.


	7. Brutus

As I am walking to training, two little kids sprint past me, knocking into me and making me drop my training bag. "Hey! You two!" They stop running and turn around. One of them point to their chest, as though to say _who? Us? _"Yeah, you two. Come here!" They look at each other and slowly walk towards me. I can see fear in their eyes. "Why were you being so careless? You could have hurt somebody. You made me drop my bag. Thankfully, there isn't anything breakable in there…." That's when I remember.

My special spear tip. It is made of especially hardened glass. My brother gave it to me after he won his Games. It has been my good luck charm ever since. I kneel down next to my bag. I open it slowly and reach into the special pocket I keep it in. As soon as I do, I feel a sharp prick on my forefinger. I am not alarmed, as this always happens when I want to take it out. But when I wrap my fingers around it, I feel something different about it. I take it out and look closely at the tip. The razor-sharp tip is gone. It broke off. I stand up and look at them with the most hate-filled expression I can give. "LOOK WHAT YOU DID! YOU BROKE MY SPEAR TIP! IT CAN'T BE REPLACED!" I hold it an inch in front of their faces. "Next time you are thinking of having fun and running into people and breaking their stuff, go do it near the senior citizens' part of the district! They don't have anything valuable anyways!" Tears stream down their faces. I look closer at it and see a big internal crack. "And look at this! It is cracked right down the middle! You guys are so lucky that I don't have a real spear in my hand right now. If I did, so help me, I would send it straight through your pathetic little bodies!" They shriek and run away.

Thank God I am right near the training center. I go in and put my bag and broken spear head into my locker. I sprint over to the spear station, in the process knocking over two or three little kids. I grab my favorite spears and send them through the dummies as though they were butter. A smirk spreads across my face. Next reaping, I am totally going to volunteer, and WIN.


	8. Buttercup

Not even an hour ago, I was digging in the knocked over trash bins trying to find something to feed myself. Then a little girl came and picked me up. I immediately hissed at her, but then I saw her face. Very young and innocent. Her big blue eyes stared into my brown-yellow ones. There was something in them that made me stop hissing. Caring. Nobody had ever looked at me like that. I loved her from that moment on.

She carried me to her home, which is where I am now. I lie in front of a warm fire, being fed some sort of watery, herby concoction by the caring girl. Another girl sits in the corner of the room with a reproachful look on her face. I turn around and hiss at her. There is another person in the room, a depressed looking middle aged woman. She just sits in a chair and stares out into the distance. She doesn't notice anything.

The other girl comes over to me and picks me up by the scruff of my neck while the caring girl is getting something in the other room. She takes me over to a bucket filled to the brim with water. She dips my paws in first, as though she is testing the water. Then she dunks my whole body in. The ice cold water envelopes me and swirls around me. I hold my breath, but soon I have to breathe. But before I get the chance to drown, I am pulled out of the bucket. The caring girl is screaming at the other girl. "Katniss! How dare you! You know I love him! He is only a little kitten!" The older girl, who is named Katniss, drops me on the floor. I start to whimper.

"Prim, you know how hard it is for us now with only three mouths to feed. We don't need a pet! He is only going to add to my workload!" Prim runs over to me and picks me up. Her warmth is comforting.

"But Katniss! Come on!" Katniss sighs and unfolds her hands.

"Just this once Prim. I swear, if you ever bring home another animal, I will shoot it and sell it at the Hob!" Prim nods with tears in her eyes. She places me gently down by the fire and goes back to feeding me. Katniss goes into the other room, sighing. I know I will be staying here for a while.


	9. Caesar Flickerman

"So what color are you going for this year?" My personal stylist, Garvin is standing in front of me with his hands on his hips. He is wearing only the most fashionable clothes in all of Panem, a neon green button down silk shirt with blue sequined pants. I put a perfectly manicured finger onto my chin. Last year's color was yellow, and the previous year's was crimson. I shudder at the thought of that year. I looked like I was bleeding. I try to think of the only color I haven't done in at least ten years. Blue!

"Garvin, can we go powder blue? I haven't done that in at least ten years." He nods and goes to get the dye and make-up. I get up and walk around my dressing room. It is as large as my bedroom at home and has just as many conveniences. Like, on my left, a full bathroom with the splendid automate shower. A full length mirror is on the door and I go look at myself in it. I look at my face closely. I am over sixty, yet I don't look a day over thirty. Thank goodness for the Capitol's age reduction surgeries. If not for them, I would look like those hideous people from the districts.

I hear Garvin come back in and turn around. "What are you doing Caesar? Admiring yourself in the mirror again? Now, get back here. We have a looong process ahead of us." I sigh and go over. It takes at least good 45 minutes to bleach my hair, then another ten to wash it, then another hour to get the dye in and let it sit and finally we wash all of that out and style it, which takes about a half hour in itself. I sit down and let him work wonders with my hair.

Two hours and half hours later, my hair is looking wonderful and ready to go onstage. But my face on the other hand, is not. I shoo Garvin away so I can do my own makeup. I apply a layer of concealer and coat my lids and lips the same shade of powder blue as my hair. I outline my eyes slightly with eyeliner and I am ready to go!

Wait. I still need to get dressed. I put on my signature midnight blue suit with twinkling lights. I stick my head out of the door and call down to Garvin to come into my room to see me. He comes in and I walk into the middle of the room. "So, what do you think?"

"Caesar, you know what I'm gonna say. You look FABULOUS!" I smile and strut out the door and onstage where I have to interview those dirty things from the districts. Ew.


	10. Cashmere

Emilia's bright purple hand reaches into one of the glass bowls. "Ladies first." She pulls out the first slip her hand encounters. She holds it up as though it were a valuable item. She unfolds it and reads out the name. "Jule Tomanson". My hand shoots up in the air and I scream "I volunteer!" I rush forward onto the stage and give a seductive smile. "Now what is your name?"

"Cashmere Perry. Let's see who my partner is." I shove her towards the bowl containing the boys' names. She reaches in and pulls a slip out. I am hoping that the name won't be Gloss's. But it isn't. It is some little twelve year old, but a huge eighteen year old sprints onto the stage and bellows the same thing I screamed. His chest is heaving. Emilia looks terrified. "W-w-what is y-y-your name?"

He grabs the microphone and says, with a deep voice, "Garnett Valentine."

"District One, may I present you your tributes for the 68th Annual Hunger Games!" We shake hands, then turn to face the crowd. They go wild when I smile again. As we are being ushered into a car, I wink and wave good bye.

When we get to the Justice Building, Garnett and I are put into separate rooms. My first visitor is my brother. He comes over to me and sits next to me. His arm goes around my shoulder and he begins talking. "Listen Cashmere. You can win this. You are pro with a knife and a bow. Just join the traditional alliance and get what you need. That includes a pack filled with food, water, a sleeping bag and some knives. I expect you to be home in a month, tops." When he says the last sentence, a small smile forms on his face. I hug him and promise him I will come home.

Next, my parents come in. They are furious. I didn't tell anyone I was going to volunteer. "What was that Cashmere? Why did you volunteer? You have a perfect life as it is, so why do you want to risk getting killed?" Both of them rush over and smack me across the face. I grab my cheek and tears form in my eyes.

"You want to know why I volunteered. Well, I did because I am sick and tired of being underestimated. Everyone sees me as a dumb blonde, and I want to prove that I am more than that. I am smart and wicked with weapons. No one knows that besides Gloss. He is the only one who really appreciates me. So there's your answer. Happy?" My mother's face is bright red and she looks as though she could explode. She walks over to me and raises her hand as though she was to hit me, but she lowers it and walks out. My father rushes out after her. A Peacekeeper comes in and pushes me towards the door. I walk out with one thought on my mind. _I am going to win this so I can prove to them I know what I am doing._


	11. Castor

**Thanks to all who review. I am going to try and update every day, but if I don't, please forgive me. I probably won't be motivated enough, so yeah. Enjoy the story and keep reviewing!**

I am sitting on my couch, reading a book on District Four when I hear a knock on my door. I set the book down and go to open it. Standing there is Pollux, who is handcuffs, and a burly Peacekeeper. "Hello. May I ask why my brother is in handcuffs?" My eyes wander from the Peacekeeper to him.

"He was caught handing out pamphlets that were filled with traitorous information about Panem. He also assaulted a Peacekeeper when they asked him to hand over some of the pamphlets." He looks down on Pollux, who is staring at the ground. He looks up and gives me a pleading look.

"I am so sorry. My brother mustn't have taken his medicine today. He is a little messed up in the head and does crazy things like that when he isn't medicated. If you could take the cuffs off, I would gladly take him inside and make sure he takes his pills." The Peacekeeper looks at me for a second, and then glances at Pollux.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. Even if he is mentally unstable, he was trying to instigate a rebellion. Peacekeepers are all trained to arrest anyone who tries to rebel, no matter their condition. I am going to have him sent to the President himself, and if he says that he is guilty, I can't do anything about it. Sorry. But I can give you some time to say good bye." He shoves my brother towards me and comes into the house. Pollux sits down on the couch next to me and begins to talk.

"Castor, I wasn't doing anything! I was just standing on the corner near the jewelers and a Peacekeeper just comes at me and grabs my work forms! So I do what any sane man would do, I kick him in the crotch. He falls to the ground and a swarm of them come at me again. They knock me down and arrest me and ask where my permanent residence is. Then this oaf literally drags me here! I tell you Castor, I am innocent!" I look at him, and know what he is saying isn't true. I know for a fact that he was printing out the pamphlets last night and was planning on handing them out today. He is just playing up the 'mentally unstable' act. I put my hand on his upper arm.

"I know. But this nice man is going to take you to see someone special okay? Go with him and you might be able to come back home." He nods and stands up with the Peacekeeper. They walk out, and I go back to reading my book.

**The Next Day**

I go pick up the newspaper from the front steps. I quickly scan through the paper and immediately go to the back where they have a list of names of the people who are set to become Avoxes. At least five names always appear. Some are from the Districts, some are from the Capitol. I don't expect to see anyone I know, but when I read down the list, I do a double take. At the very bottom is a single name. When I see that name, my heart drops. The name is Pollux Lockheart.


	12. Cato

"Cato! Let's go! Do you _want _to be late to training?" My older sister, Bana, stomps up the stairs and tries to open my door, but it is locked. I smirk, because I knew she would come upstairs and try to get me out. I don't hear anything for a while. I go back to what I was doing, sharpening my sword collection. I pick up my most prized sword. It has a long blade and great grips on the handle, yet is perfectly balanced. I am sliding the sharpening stone down the blade of my sword when my door falls down. Bana is standing there, looking furious. "Cato, let's go. Now. You know what Terra will do to us if we are late! Oh, and you should really get this looked at." She turns and walks downstairs. I carefully place my sword on its stand and throw the stone onto my bed.

"Bana! What time is it?"

"Oh, you know. Only like ten thirty." Crap. I sprint downstairs with my training bag shoulder thrown my. We are gonna be an hour and a half late. An hour and a half! Terra is going to kill me.

We get there in record time. I try to sneak in and slip my bag into my locker unnoticed, but that is kind of impossible when your trainer is a past victor. As soon as I step into the room, Terra is right on me. "Cato, how nice of you to finally get off your butt and join us. Why were you late, _again?_" She gives me a look that bores into my soul.

"I was sharpening my weapons." I stare at the ground, embarrassed.

"Don't you have time for that after training? It isn't like you stay after for extra practice. Oh no, Cato Starr is too good for that. He is the top of his class so he can come into training whenever he wants," the whole room has stopped what they were doing and is staring at me now. "And he doesn't have to follow any directions. Always threatening younger trainees. Stealing the best swords! You can't do that Cato! It isn't the arena! If you keep up acting the way you are, I'm gonna have to ban you from this training hall, and you know this is the only training center in the whole district. I prefer not to, but if I have to, I will. And because you were late, you get to skip lunch and stay here with me, sharpening every single tip and blade in this room." I groan. "What was that? Did I hear a complaint? How about you stay after training is done for the day and sharpen every weapon in the whole _building_? I think that would do you good. So I expect you here at lunch and after everyone goes, or else. Now get back to training and behave for once in your life."

She walks away and I stand there, everybody staring at me. I go over to the spear station. I look around the spears, and find the biggest, sharpest one I can find. I throw it through the dummy with ease. Then I grab a couple more and send them flying one after another, hitting the dummy centimeters apart. A smirk spreads across my face. I look around to make sure no one was still looking at me. They aren't.

Over the course of the next two hours, I go to the knife station for about half an hour and the sword station for the remaining time. Then the lunch bell rings. Great. Now I have to sharpen all of the used weapons in the room. Terra walks in with her arms crossed over her chest. "Ready to go Cato? Pick up a sharpening stone and get working. I expect this whole room to be done by the time lunch is over." She goes to sit down on the bench near the lockers and watches me. A single sharpening stone sits on a stool near the swords. I pick it and a sword up. But the one I pick up is razor sharp. I hold it up.

"Terra, do I have to sharpen this? It is already like razor sharp."

"Cato, what did I tell you? Every single tip and blade in the room. It doesn't matter how sharp it already is. Now get going. You are wasting time." I go back to the stool and start sharpening the sword. I know I only have time to sharpen the knives and swords. But I have to try to sharpen them in record time. I speed through the swords and knives and go onto the spears. As soon as I pick up the last one, the bell signaling that lunch is over. I groan and put the spear back. Looks like I'm gonna have to skip lunch tomorrow too.

"Starr! I expect you back here after training, before training tomorrow, and at lunch tomorrow too!" I nod and go to the axes to practice with them. _Why can't I be like Bana? _I think. _She never has to do this._


	13. Cecelia

"Mama! Look what I made!" My youngest child comes up to me. I have three, even though I know it is dangerous for a victor to have them. She hands me a piece of paper with some colorful scribbles on it.

"Very good Arianna! Do you want me to hang it on the fridge?" She nods and I go over to hang it up next to all of her creations. "Where are Gabe and Aubrey?" I look down at my four-year-old and she answers.

"In the garden Mama! They were talking to Unca Woof!" All of my children refer to our next door neighbor and my fellow victor as Uncle Woof. They love him to pieces. He took the place of the kids' father when he left us. He couldn't stand being the husband of a victor, having to comfort me every night when I would wake up screaming, so one day when he went to work, he never came back. Gabe was nine. Aubrey was seven, and Arianna was only one. Out of the three, only Gabe remembers. He sometimes asks about his father, but when he does, I say he moved away and tell him not say anything in front of his sisters. He never does.

I walk out of the house and into my huge backyard. I hop over the fence that separates my and Woof's yard. I see my two oldest kids sitting on his patio, chatting with him. By the look in his eyes, I can tell they are talking about the upcoming Quarter Quell. The President read out the card yesterday. When we heard it, Gabe and Aubrey started crying. I just sat there with Arianna in my arms, frozen with fear. The four year old kept on patting me on the shoulder and stroking my face. Eventually, I came to, and reassured Arianna that everything was okay. I looked at Aubrey and Gabe and the tears were still streaming down their faces. Arianna hopped off my lap, went over to her siblings, and wiped their tears off their faces with her little hand. "Gabe, Aubwey, why aw you cwying? Don't be sad." They grin and wipe the rest of their tears away with a final sniffle. After several curious looks from Arianna, Gabe finally speaks up.

"We were crying because we saw that boy in the white robe. I used to go to school with him. He used to be my friend. I was happy for him because he gets to go to the Capitol and work for the President himself." She just nodded and went to her room to plat with her toys.

Woof's voice brings me out of my thoughts. "Cecelia, how nice to see you. Gabe, Aubrey and me were just talking about the Quell." I nod and go to sit down.

"I think I'll join you. So are you afraid you are gonna get reaped? I mean, we only have like five victors, two women and three men. I only have Lea to take my place, so I know if I'm reaped, I will most definitely be going in. She will probably be so drugged up, it won't be funny. At least with you, you have Flax and Burton to take your place. I know if you ask Flax, he will." He considers what I have said.

"I'm not going to ask a forty year old to take my place when he has more than three more decades to live while I have one, if that. Now, for you, I can't really say how we are going to make sure you're not reaped. Let's just hope and pray that you won't get reaped." I really hope I don't get reaped. If I do, where will my kids go?

"Come on guys. We have to get home. I left Arianna in the living room, so who knows what she is doing." We get up and hug Woof good bye. My kids hop over the fence with me and we go inside to have some lunch.

_Well, I did end up being reaped. So did Woof. We didn't get to say good bye to my kids. We went to the Capitol, got dressed up and interviewed. Then, the actual Quell came. I died in the bloodbath, with all of my kids watching in the square. As soon as that dreaded knife entered my throat, everyone broke down. After that, my kids were permanent residents of the community home. Gabe got separated from his sisters and put in the boys' home, while Arianna and Aubrey got put in the girls. The older two started working so they could feed themselves and Arianna more. But one day when they were working, bombs fell. They were trapped in the rubble of the factory and died within a couple of hours from the toxic gasses. They came to live with me, forever._

_Arianna had to grow up by herself, with no siblings to guide her. What used to be a sweet, innocent little girl became a confused and bitter woman. She wouldn't move in with us until three decades later, when she couldn't stand anymore nightmares, and she took her own life. We welcomed her with open arms. We were a complete family again. Finally. _


	14. Chaff

"Chaff, it's okay. She is in a better place now." Seeder is crouching next to me, rubbing me back and comforting me. I have just witnessed my tribute for the 46th Hunger Games die. I can still hear the screaming and crunching of her bones breaking as the Careers tortured her. I feel the warm tears sliding down my cheeks, but I don't bother to wipe them away. I am stuck in my current position, sitting in my chair, hand on my controls, staring at the blank screen. It is my first year mentoring, and already, I wish I would have died in the arena. I see the Career slowly saw off her arms and legs with her huge sword, and I am flashed back into my arena, when I lost my forearm.

"_Chaff! Stop it!" My ally, Kim, laughs as I tickle her. A deafening crash wipes the smiles off our faces and brings fear into our eyes. We look at each other. A sharp crack of a branch makes us jump. Then two huge, threatening Careers walk out from behind a cluster of trees. _

"_Well, well, well. What do we have here? Two lovebirds? Trey, do you think we should interrupt them?" He glances at his partner, and he nods. "Well then, I'll take the chick and you take the other one." He walks towards Kim and I step protectively in front of her. _

"_You aren't going to touch her." He scoffs and a smirk spreads across his face. _

"_Oh, I'm not? Well let's take a little inventory here. I am 18, 6 foot 8, 176 pounds, and I have three swords and a dozen knives. You are still 18, 5 foot 10, and probably 130 pounds soaking wet. Oh, and you don't have any weapons, so how are you going to defend yourself?" He cocks his head to the side and raises his eyebrows. I think for a second, then realize something. I have no weapons, but I can try and shield Kim with my body for as long as possible. _

"_I might not have any weapons, but I am going to protect her in any way I can, no matter how much pain you cause me." I try and stare at him defensively, but I know no matter how hard I try, I will never look threatening. _

"_Ok then. Well, let's see how that all lies out. Give me a second?" He steps back and cups his hands around his mouth. He gives a quick, but loud, shout. He stands there, waiting. A second later, I hear a response, the same call, just a bit quieter. He smirks and says, "My 'friends' are going to be here soon. Do you want me to start now, or when they come?" I open my mouth to answer, but he comes over and slaps me, and yells, "That wasn't meant for you to answer!" I can feel the anger rising in me, and I take some deep breaths to try and calm down. It doesn't work. _

_I ball my hands into fists and charge towards him. I catch him off guard and tackle him to the ground. I get in a few punches to the face, to his nose. The he pushes me off of him and kick me in the forehead. My vision turns blurry, and I am fighting to stay conscious. He pins me down on the soft floor of the jungle. The he takes one of his huge swords and teasingly traces right below my neck. I struggle to turn my head so the blade doesn't break skin. He laughs and brings the blade down to my right forearm, right below my elbow. He pushes the blade down and a thin line of blood forms. He cuts even deeper, almost to the bone, yet I don't scream. I don't want him to have that satisfaction. He sees I am not screaming, so he turns the blade so it cuts in a circular motion around my arm, as though he was trying to cut a thick stalk of corn. The ground below me is soaked with my blood. I start feeling light headed from all the blood I have lost. _

_He finally decides enough is enough; he wipes the sword on my shirt and stands up. I curl around my injured arm, trying to staunch the flow of blood. He grabs the back of my shirt and pulls me up. My head is jerked back as he grabs my hair to force me to look in Kim's direction. She is pinned down by three huge girls. One emerges from behind me with multiple knives and one of the guy's swords. She uses her knees to pin her arms, while she has another girl pin her legs. She takes out a regular dagger and starts carving shapes into her body. Her face, her chest, her arms, and her legs all get covered in bright red shapes. Then, after about an hour of this torture, she starts the real fun. She actually takes her knives and takes chunks or her skin out, one by one. And she does it slowly, so it causes her more pain. _

_When she has had enough, she takes her dagger and teasingly traces a smiley face into her forehead, then stabs her right through the eye. A single tears slips out of my eye and drops off my jaw, onto the blood stained ground. The guy holding me drops me to the ground and motions to his allies to move on out. I guess they are leaving me so I can die a slow and painful death. And I hope I do, because I couldn't save Kim. I couldn't save my best friend. _

After a lot of coaxing from Seeder, I get up out of my seat and flop down in the corner of a plush couch. I bring my knees up to my chest and put my face in my one hand. My eyes are overflowing with tears and they fall down my cheeks and drip off my chin onto my pants. "Chaff, you can't act like this. You are the newest victor and the others need to see you as strong, not a nineteen year old who cries whenever his tributes get killed. It may sound harsh, but it's true." I nod slowly and wipe my face on a fluffy handkerchief Seeder has held out to me. I excuse myself to the bathroom so I can splash some cold water on my face. It is refreshing, and I feel more revived. I head back out into the Control Room, but when I do; my eyes go immediately to the blank screen labeled, "District Eleven Female". A fresh round of tears starts to flow. I turn around and walk straight to the elevator.

When the doors open, I press the button for the ground level with a shaky hand. I hope no one steps into the elevator with me, and thankfully, no one does. In the complete silence of the elevator, I can hear my own ragged breathing. In a matter of seconds, I am on the floor level and I step out of the elevator. I ask an Avox to call a car for me. He nods and rushes off to do so. I stand there, trying to calm down a bit. When the car comes, I rush out and into it so no one sees me in my current state. "Take me to the nearest bar." The driver looks in the rearview mirror and nods.

Five minutes later, we pull up in front of a bar called Aqueous. I wonder why it is called that until I am inside of it. It is like I was transported to District Four and forced to live underwater. I try and find the counter without success. I ask some woman dressed as a mermaid, and she points a finger straight towards the back. I follow her finger and spot the counter. When I go up there, I ask the bartender what the heaviest drink is. He tells me something, and I order two. He makes them and brings them to me, and I down them within a minute of each other. I order two more, and spend the night drinking myself into oblivion, trying to forget the look on the girl's face as she died.


	15. Cinna

"Cinna, you show some real promise! I love the way you made the dress completely out of jewels! It looks just like the ocean!" My teacher, Ajax, motions to the dress I have made. The assignment was to make a dress look like the ocean, and you could use whatever material you wanted to. I decided to use jewels, because I knew no one else would do something that risky. But I knew how to support them. I used silk under all of the gems because not only is it comfortable, it is fairly strong so it could easily hold up the weight of the jewels. Ajax runs his hand over the smooth surface, and a grin spreads across his face. He has a clipboard in his hand and a pen in the other. He starts to scribble down some notes, like how I placed the gems and how they fit so well together. It is completely silent except for the scratching of his pen against the paper.

Finally, after about ten minutes of him surveying the dress, he looks at me and asks me some questions. "Where did you get the gems from? And how did you decide what colors to use?"

"I actually requested permission to travel to District Four and One so I could look at the oceans and gems firsthand. They granted my permission, so as soon as possible; I got on the train to District Four and spent a day or two on the beach, taking pictures and videos and watching how the ocean moves. Then when I was done there, I got on another train to go to District One. I went to every single gem store and handpicked the gems for this dress. Then I had them shipped back here and I made the dress."

"Wow Cinna, that must have been an adventure. How is this all being supported? I mean, all of these jewels must weigh at least twenty pounds."

"I used silk for the cloth underneath. I knew it was both strong and comfortable, so I decided to use it." I smile at him, knowing I made exactly the right choices. He nods approvingly and hands me my paper. On the top, in red pen, says _See me after I get done looking at Portia's dress._ My smile vanishes. Did I do something wrong? Did I use too many jewels? Is it going to be too heavy for someone to wear? A million questions start bouncing around in my head. I fold the paper up and slip it into my back pocket. Then I pace back and forth in front of the dress. I stop and look at it. I study it carefully, trying to see if I misplaced a crystal or overlapped any, or if there was a rip. Nothing seems out of place, so I don't know why he wants to see me.

I look over to Ajax at Portia's station and I can see her beaming. He hands Portia her paper and she shrieks with happiness. I jump, and she looks over at me. She holds up the paper and on the top in red says _Great Job, you passed with flying colors_. I smile back at her, but I can tell she can tell something is wrong. She stares at me for a second and then signs something to me. We invented a series of signs so that we could talk without anybody knowing. She signs, _what's wrong? Talk to me at the dorm._ I nod. She picks up her sewing kit and walks out, wheeling the mannequin behind her. My eyes follow her all the way to the door. She looks back and she gives me a sympathetic look. I smile weakly and she walks out.

Ajax walks over to me and sits down on the stool in front of the mannequin. "Cinna, I am so pleased with your work. You have shown the most promise out of all the students here."

"Then why did you want to see me? Is there something wrong?" I ask in a confused voice.

"I wanted to see you to make an offer. You know you and Portia were going to take another year of classes here, right?" I nod and he continues. "Well, I talked with the Head of the Fashion School, and he suggested I assign both of you a district. The only problem is he assigned Portia to District Twelve since she is the least experienced. He asked me to recommend you to one of the Career district since you were so good. I was thinking District One, since you seem to have a knack for working with jewels. What do you think?" He looks at me.

"Well, I would prefer to work with Portia, because she is the only person in the whole world who really understands me and knows what I am going to do before anyone. We work really well together and I was hoping we would be assigned the same district. Is that a possibility?"

"No. It's not. The head wants you to be in one of the bigger districts so you can shine. If you were to go to District Twelve, you would be held back. So why don't we agree on something, like you working for District One?" He says.

"Know what Ajax? I think I am going to work for Twelve. I am going to work with my best friend and no one is going to stop me. And I am not going to be held back there. I am going to make them shine just as bright as the Careers!" I get up, grab my kit and wheel my mannequin out of the designing hall, leaving my former teacher there with a surprised look on his face.


	16. Claudius Templesmith

**A/N: To everyone who keeps saying I missed out on people on the list of characters I will be writing about: I did not include them because they had so little information that I wouldn't be able to write a story on them. So that is why, and please stop commenting saying I missed out on something, unless it is a major character, like Cinna.**

"Seneca, should I announce it now?" I look over to the Head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane. He made a rule change about a week ago saying that two people could win the Games, which of course, can't happen. He just did it so the audience could enjoy the Games even more than they already do. He nods, and I go over to the microphone that is connected to huge speakers on the bottom of the invisible hovercrafts that are always on patrol over the arena. A green button sits next to a red one, and I press the green one, turning on the microphone. "Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed. Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor." Then I press the red button, turning off the microphone. I don't hit it hard enough, so a sharp, static-y sound erupts from the speakers. I press down the button for a whole minute, and then the speakers and microphone finally shut off.

My chair squeaks as I get up off of it. I walk over to Seneca and pat him on the shoulder. "I would say this has been one of the better Hunger Games I have seen. How about you?" He turns and carefully takes my hand off his shoulder and places it near my side.

"I think it is also, but I have a bad feeling about something. I feel like something is going to happen to me, something bad."

"I seriously doubt that Seneca. I mean, you have just created one of the greatest surprises in the Hunger Games! The president should love you for this!" He nods slowly and returns back to his blueprints for next year's arena, the Quarter Quell. The arena is going to shaped like a clock, with twelve wedges, each containing some horror that erupts every hour. For example, the one to two hour wedge contains boiling hot blood rain.

After staring at the blueprints for a couple of minutes, I begin to walk around the Control Room, looking at what each Gamemaker is doing. Some are just lounging around, playing cards with one another, or drinking. Only some are still working, trying to round up all of the mutts in the arena, trying to make it safe for the Capitol citizens that want to go on vacation there. "I don't think you should do that. What if they run away from each other and you need to release some more mutts to bring them back together again?" A woman, maybe in her early twenties, raises an eyebrow at me.

"Seneca gave us specific orders to round up all the mutts after you announced the revision of the rule change. And if they run away from each other, where are they going to go? The boy can hardly walk and the only place they can get water is at the lake, so they would have to congregate there eventually."

I nod and walk back to my desk, where I am trying to solve a puzzle. A TV screen is sitting in the corner of my desk playing the Games. I am almost done writing down the word, _sword_, when I hear, "We both know they have to have a victor." I look up at the screen and notice the boy, Peeta, drag Katniss to her feet and start rambling on about how the victor should be her, not him, and how much he loves her. I can tell she isn't listening to a word he is saying by the look on her face. Pure concentration. All of a sudden, she tries to undo the pouch on her belt that contains the lethal nightlock berries. Peeta notices what she is doing and grabs her wrist. "No, I won't let you."

She gives him a pleading look and says, "Trust me." He stares at her for a while, then lets go of her wrist. She opens the little bag and pours some berries into his hand, then hers. I then realize what she is planning on doing. My pen drops and I throw the crossword on the table. Then I jump up and run to see Seneca.

"Do you see that they're doing? They're gonna commit suicide so they don't have to live without each other! What should we do?" His brows furrow in frustration.

"I don't know! Tell them not to! Tell them they both can win!" I look at him and he throws his hands up in the air. "Go! Do it now before they eat them!" I rush over to the microphone and turn it on. When I speak, my voice comes out frantic. "Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! I give you – the tributes of District Twelve!" I pull my mouth away from the microphone and turn it off, sighing. Then I get up and walk over to Seneca, who is leaning down on some controls, head in his hands. I rub him on his back, even though I know he hates when people do so.

"Snow is going to kill me for this. He is absolutely going to flip out. We weren't supposed to allow this. She was supposed to sacrifice herself for him, or vice versa. Claudius, did this ever happen before?" He turns his head and looks at me, regret prominent in his eyes. I slowly shake my head. He groans and puts his head back in his hands. A phone next to him rings, and he looks at me, his eyes wide. He reaches out and slowly picks up the phone. "Seneca Crane, Head Gamemaker." If it is even possible, his eyes widen even more. "Yes, President Snow, I'll be there soon." He presses the phone back into the receiver, and slowly turns towards me. "Snow wants me to see him at his mansion." I look at me and he stares off into the distance. I tap him on the shoulder and tell him to get moving, as a car horn is honking outside the building.

"Goodbye Seneca. Good luck." He looks pitiful. He nods, and walks out.

That was the last time I saw him.


	17. Clove

"Clove! Get off your butt, grab your clothes and get to training! You know how much Terra hates trainees being late! She nearly killed Cato Starr when he was late! She made him sharpen every single knife and sword blade in the entire room, trust me, I was there. He had to skip two lunches, stay after, and come two hours early to finish. You don't want that to be you, do you?" My older brother, Damien, yells at me from downstairs.

"Damien! Shut up! It is only seven thirty! I have like an hour and a half till I have to be there! You shouldn't be talking! You're gonna be late if you keep.."

"Clove! Damien! Stop fighting and get showered! I have had enough of this!" My mother yells at us. She storms up the steps and throws open my door. "Clove, why do you have to argue with Damien? He is only trying to help you."

"I don't want his help Mom! I can help myself." I cross my arms and she comes over to my bed and sits next to me.

"Clove, what happened to you? Ever since Styx got reaped last year, you seem more hostile, more guarded. Why?" I look at her in disbelief and jump up, ready to scream.

"Why else Mom? My twin DIED! She isn't here anymore. She can't cheer me up or make me happy! She was a complete opposite of me, my other half! I am even more pessimistic than ever! I can't think of one good reason to stay here and train until I have to volunteer! I WANT to go into the Games, I WANT to get killed. There is nothing here for me anymore." I grab my duffel bag and storm out, determined to get to training before Damien.

When I get there, Terra is just opening up. "Oh, hey Clove. Did your mom talk about last year's Games again?" I nod and motion to the door. "Oh, okay. Here, let me unlock the door to the hall and I'm gonna go get some food from the cafeteria. Is that all good?" I nod again and wait for her to open the door. She does and pushes it open. A rush of cool air floods the space around us, momentarily cooling me off and calming me down. Then the air goes away and I am left sweating and thinking of how much I hate my mother.

I head off to the only training room in the whole district and put my things in my locker. Rumor has it, is that this used to be Enobaria's locker. Only the trainees with special ability are assigned this locker. I smile for the first time this morning just thinking about the victor, famous for her surgically-altered teeth. I walk over to the wall that houses knives of varying length, sharpness, and shape. My eyes automatically fall on a belt of knives that contains every length of knife from a machete to a small dagger. I take out the best knife for throwing, and throw it at the head of a dummy standing all the way across the room. It hits it square in the forehead. I smirk and run over to it, making sure I clear the distance as fast I can. I leap onto it, making it fall backwards. I then take out the smallest dagger and begin to carve the dummy apart.

This is what I plan on doing to at least one person during this year's Games. I hope I can do it to the District Twelve tributes. They were the ones who killed Styx; they killed my other half, my twin. They killed her, and they are going to pay. Dearly.


	18. Cray

The fire in front of me warms my legs. I find myself drifting off when I hear a soft knock on the door. My head snap attention and I ease myself out of the old wooden chair. The floor creaks as I walk across it. You'd think that since I was Head Peacekeeper I would get a halfway decent house, but no. I am stuck in this run down shack on the edge of town.

I open the door and find Gale standing there with a dead turkey in his hands and a game bag on his shoulder. "Ah, Gale. That's for me I assume?" I point to the dead bird and raise an eyebrow. He nods and I motion for him to come in. He sets the game bag on the floor and carefully lays the bird on the table for me to see it. As usual, it was shot in the head. I flip it over and examine the other side. "I think I'll take it. How much?"

"I don't know, but it took some time to get him. He was flying everywhere and even Katniss couldn't walk without scaring it. So, maybe a coin or two more?" He looks at me, pleading. I can tell that today is a hollow day for them. I nod and walk over to the bag that holds my coins. I open it and dump out some, not bothering to count how many. I drop them on the table and Gale picks them up. He goes through them, carefully counting them.

"Cray, this is too much. You gave me double than usual."

"No, I didn't. Now get out of here before I arrest you for hunting." This may sound like a threat, but I add a smile to show I am joking. He smiles back, which is rare. "Oh, and Gale? Bring your mother those bags of uniforms. They need some washing." He nods and grabs the bags along with his own and trudges out the door into the cold day. I walk back over to my chair and lower myself into it. It whines as I try and find a comfortable position. When I finally do, I rest my head on the back of the chair and wait for sleep to overcome me.


	19. Cressida

_Bring! Bring! Bring! _

My telephone's shrill ring jerks me awake. I lift my head off of my pillow just enough to see the time. 9:30. Ugh. I drop my head back down onto the fluffy pillow and throw back the covers. I sit up and rub the stubble on my head. The phone keeps ringing, so I go over and pick it up. "Hello?" My voice is raspy and has a tired tone to it.

"Cressida? Is that you? It is Plutarch Heavansbee." My eyes widen and the phone drops. I rush to pick it up.

"Yes, it's Cressida. Why are you calling me this early?" I click the speaker phone button, set it down on my bedside table, and rub the sleep out of my eyes.

"I'm calling to ask you if you are interested in being a director for the rebel cause. We are going to be film some propaganda spots, or propos, and we need someone to correctly direct them. I know you have directed many films for the Capitol, as well as directed the 74th Hunger Games interviews. You did wonderfully and we need someone like you on our side." I am speechless. I don't know what to say. A rebel director? Me?

"Umm, can I call you back? I need some time to think about this."

"Yeah, sure. Call me back as soon as you can though. We need to know within the next few hours." He hangs up and I turn off the phone, throwing it on the bed. I go towards the shower, where I do my best thinking. I get in and set the water at a comfortable temperature. I stand there, contemplating the big question Plutarch asked me.

Should I accept? If I do, what will be required of me? Will I have to film battle, on the front line? Will I be forced to risk my life? But what will happen if I decline? Will I go one doing what I am doing now, barely getting by and filming a short commercial here and there? Will the rebels kill me for being on the Capitol's side? Finally, I decide that the pros outweigh the cons, and decide to call Plutarch back.

"Plutarch? Yes, it's Cressida. I'm gonna do it."


	20. Darius

"Line them up here. Yeah, side by side. Except Enobaria. Bring her to the room." A rough voice commands. I am shoved roughly into a wall where I am forced to stand. I am blinded by a piece of cloth tied around my eyes. I can't talk because I was turned into an Avox. The same can be said for my roommate, Laviana. Peacekeepers came in and kidnapped us, not bothering to tell us where we would be going.

The rough voice brings me out of my thoughts. "So, we have brought all of you here to question you. About what you ask? The rebel cause. Each and every one of you has had some interaction with Katniss Everdeen, leader of the rebels. Peeta Mellark, her so called lover. Johanna Mason, her ally in the Quarter Quell. Darius and Laviana, District Twelve's Avoxes during the Quell. So this is how it's going to work. We are going to bring the Avoxes into this room here, and Peeta into the room next to them. Johanna is going to be brought to another room. So Darius, Laviana? Please follow me." I follow the voice as best I can without tripping. As I stumble along, I can hear an argument rising behind me. It seems like either Johanna or Peeta has resisted being taken. I try to ignore it the best I can. Someone, presumably the man with the rough voice, grabs my wrist and thrusts me into a room. I fall down on the floor and a minute later, Laviana falls on me. My breath is knocked out of me and Laviana gets up, helping me up. I reach up and take off my blindfold. Everything turns bright white, then slowly comes back to normal. I look over at Laviana, and she still has her on. I go over and slowly remove it, letting her vision come back to normal. She looks at me and I see fear in her eyes. My arms open and she walks into them. She buries her head in my chest and I can feel her tears wetting my shirt. I pull her away and look her in the eyes. I know they say what I can't, _don't cry. Stay strong. _She nods and wipes her face dry.

Just as she does this, the heavy door flies open. Two huge men in cameo uniforms walk in. A noticeably smaller figure with paper white hair and puffy lips walks in, the smell of blood and overbearing roses following.

Snow.

Just the sight of him makes me want to vomit. He rules Panem in the worst way possible, by being a dictator. His citizens live in poverty, when in the Capitol, people have enough to feed all of District Twelve for a year, and still have some left over. He turns people into Avoxes when they commit minor crimes, like I did. Worst of all, he forces everyone in Panem to watch their own children get brutally killed in the Hunger Games on live television. He is hated by all, yet they can't do anything out of fear.

Laviana's arms wrap around my waist and she buries her head into my chest. I stroke her hair and give a look of hate to the President. He motions with one hand towards us and the two men walk over to us. One grabs Laviana by the waist, pulling her roughly away from me, and the other grabs my arms, jerking them back. Sharp pains run up my arms. I try not to groan; try not to give them satisfaction. The President walks over to us and begins speaking. "Darius, Laviana. How good it is to see you again. I hope you have been well. You are probably wondering why you are here. You were just Miss Everdeen's servants before the Quell, right? That is true. We brought you here to convince Mr. Mellark we mean business. Laviana, you are going to be in this room here." He opens a door I didn't see before. "Go on. Bring her in." The guard shoves her in the direction of the door and she slowly walks towards it. She stops by the doorway and slowly looks back at me. She looks at me with eyes brimming with tears. I jerk my chin towards the door, telling her to go in. She nods slowly and walks in, her head drooping. Snow slams the door behind her.

He walks back towards me, a slight grin appearing on his puffy lips. I stare at him, trying to find out what he is thinking. Then I feel the cold metal of handcuffs being slammed onto my wrists. The guard shoves me down onto a rock hard and freezing bench. My head hits the wall behind me, giving me a massive headache. I tilt my head forward, glaring at Snow. "Darius. How are you doing? Good? I hope so. You must be wondering what we are doing to Laviana, or when you are going to be allowed to go back to your apartment. Well, how do I put this? You aren't going to be going home. You will stay here until it is your time. Yes, by your time I mean your death. Laviana is beginning her journey to her death right now. Can you hear her?" He pauses, putting a hand near his ear as if to hear better. No sound comes from the room next door. He removes his hand and looks confused. The door opens and the man walks out. He goes over to the President and whispers something in his ear. He nods and whispers something back. Something to do with "the girl" and "bring her". The man walks back in the room and comes back out carrying Laviana. She is completely limp; her head bouncing up and down with each step the man takes. He dumps her right by my feet. I look at her, and see she isn't breathing. My eyes widen and I scoot off the bench. I press my ear to her chest, and I don't hear anything. Then I move my ear to her mouth, where air should be coming out. Nothing.

She's dead. Laviana is dead. My partner, my roommate, my lover. Dead. Gone. Never coming back. Silent tears stream down my face and fall onto her white outfit. A horrible sound emerges from my throat. I slump down next to her and rest my head on her chest, like she did so many times to me. Then I get up and look at Snow. A strong hate rises up from within me. I slowly rise to my feet. Then I lunge at him. I hear a dull thud and feel a sharp pain on the back of my head. I fall to the ground. The last thing I see before I black out is Laviana's eyes. Open and emotionless, forever burned into my mind.


	21. Delly Cartwright

"Delly? Where are Momma and Daddy? Why aren't they here with us?" I sigh and turn around to face my younger brother, Caspian. He sits on the floor of our compartment, fiddling with the one toy he brought with him. His huge eyes look up at me curiously.

How do I explain the death of my parents to my five year old brother? How do I tell him his home doesn't exist anymore? Do I tell him they went away, never to come back again? That they went to go make shoes for some distant country? I don't know.

I sit down on the floor and pull him onto my lap. He rests his head on my chest, tilting his head back so he can see my face. "Caspian, Momma and Daddy aren't going to be coming to live with us. They...they went to go make shoes in the clouds. With Peeta's parents, they went to go start stores up there. Okay?" He looks confused for a second, and then slowly nods.

"Are they with Sparks?" Sparks was our little bird we found behind our shop. It's wings were broken, so we nursed it back to health. It died a couple of months later, and we told Casp that it went to live in the clouds.

"Yeah Casp, they are in the clouds with Sparks taking good care of him. And we're gonna see them again one day. One day you are going to see Sparks, Momma and Daddy again. Okay?" He nods again.

"Okay. Delly? Can you tell me a story? Like one Momma used to tell me before bed?" I let out a soft laugh and softly say, "Yes." I pick him up and carry him over to the bed we share. He squirms his way out of my arms and dives into the pillows. I carefully sit down and pull the covers up to his chin. Then I begin to tell a story called "A Home For Caspian."

"Okay, Casp. Here goes. _After searching all day for a home, Caspian finally gave up and sat on a stone by the roadway in despair._

"_What am I going to do?" he asked himself. "Its raining every day, I need somewhere to stay. What a mess."_

"_What's a mess, what's a mess?" a voice asked grumpily. "I don't like messes."_

_An old lady was walking down the road and she stopped by him and asked again, "Where is the mess?"_

"_There isn't any mess."_

"_You said there was a mess. Don't say things if they're not true," She said sternly._

_Caspian sighed._

"_Well, I'm waiting. What's your problem?"_

"_I'm looking for a home. I have nowhere to stay."_

"_Where's your mother?"_

"_I'm an orphan and I was sent out to make my way in the world. I don't seem to be doing much good at the moment."_

_The old lady looked at him and then started walking off. Caspian sighed again._

_She walked a little way and then stopped. "You can come home with me, if you like. I need a young lad to help me at home. My old bones can't work like they used to."_

_Caspian stared at her in amazement. "You really mean it, lady? I can stay with you, truly?"_

"_Of course I mean it. If I said things I don't mean, I'll end up in trouble, won't I? Now, come along."_

_And so, Caspian found a home and the old lady whose name was Mrs. Thane grew very fond of him and looked after him very well, for he was a good boy. In turn he worked hard for her and never forgot how she had so kindly given him a home to live in." _I look to my little brother lying in the bed and see him to be fast asleep. I push the hair off of his forehead and get up. I walk over to the chair in the corner and sit down, thinking of my parents.


	22. Dr Aurelius

"I still don't understand why she isn't talking. Her vocal cords weren't burned during the bombing. She's perfectly able." My colleague, Ammon, says. His face in contorted in an expression of confusion. I walk over to the file he has spread out on his desk. It is labeled, "Katniss Everdeen". He looks at me for some answers.

"I honestly don't know Ammon. No one does. She just stopped talking." A thought pops into my head. "Wait, when did she stop talking?"

"Umm," he flips through the pages in the file until he finds what he is looking for. He pulls out a page and surveys it. "Ah, here it is. Refusing to speak. About two weeks ago, after she woke up. Why?"

"Because, I may have an answer to why she isn't saying anything. She was in the Capitol during the air raid correct?" Ammon nods. "Her sister was one of the nurses we sent there, right? And didn't she die there?" He nods again. "Katniss volunteered for her sister. She risked her life for her; she would do anything for her. That's why!"

Ammon looks even more confused. "That's what?"

I groan and tilt my head back. "That's the reason Katniss won't talk. She was there when….what's her name? The sister?"

"Primrose."

"Ah, thanks. Katniss was there when Primrose died. She witnessed the person she loved most die. She went into shock. She isn't talking because she has become an Avox."

"An Avox?" Ammon asks curiously. "But she hasn't committed any crimes."

I sigh and walk over to my desk chair, where I sit down. "I don't mean a physical Avox, a mental one. Like the shock of witnessing her sister die made her retreat back into her own thoughts. She is trying to work out why she died and how she can live the rest of her life without the only person she truly loved. It's really simple if you think about it." Yet another look of confusion crosses over Ammon's face, but then a knowing look appears. He has finally figured out what I am talking about.

"Oh! I know why she isn't talking! She is trying to sort out why her sister died and how she can live without her!"

"No really." I say under my breath as I walk out of the office.


	23. Effie Trinket

**A/N: Hello readers! I haven't left an author's note in a little while, so here goes! I am trying to finish this story as fast as possible because I want to go back to writing the FinnickxAnnie story I am doing. But if I'm doing that, I can't concentrate on this! So here is yet again another chapter, and it is about Effie Trinket. If you don't like it, let me know, just no flames please! **

**To the anonymous reviewer: I know I missed a lot of characters, but I am not doing them because I have either already created a story for them, or I just can't find the motivation for it. And if you want to see some one shots about the tributes in the 74****th**** Hunger Games, I already did a series of them, and it is titled "The Insiders of the 74****th**** Hunger Games". Feel free to read it!**

**Okay, now onto the story (FINALLY). Enjoy!**

I look into my extensive wardrobe for something, anything to wear. I am being interviewed today for The Capitol Times. They are interviewing all of the former escorts and any available victors about their lives after the war. I was delighted to be picked for it, but as it is coming closer, I am dreading it. I can't find anything to wear, and I don't know what I am going to do now that I don't have a job. I could go live in District Twelve, but then I would have to spend every day with Haymitch. Ugh. I guess I will have to make it up as I go along.

Finally, after two hours of standing in my closet, I find something acceptable to wear. It isn't any fancy Capitol clothing, no, it's something nice and simple I found while on the victory tour with Katniss and Peeta. I got it in District Eight. The dress is navy blue and made out of lace. It is lined, of course, has a v-neck, and comes halfway up my thighs.

I put it on and find a pair of tan wedges to go along with it. Then I go stand in front of my full length mirror. I didn't bother to put a wig on, so my dirty blonde hair falls down my back. I've always hated the color of my hair, but I don't have time to put a wig or any makeup on. Without all of my makeup, my natural tan skin color shows through. My blue eyes don't "pop" without my long eyelashes and bright eye shadow. My lips look thin and colorless without the deep lipsticks I always coat them in. I take in my appearance one last time before heading out the door and into the car that will take me to the interview building.

As I walk out of the car and into the building, people point and stare at me. They whisper to their friends about me not having a wig or makeup on. I just stare ahead and walk into the building, trying to stay dignified.

Once I am inside the building, I am directed into a room with multiple escorts and victors. I look around and see Haymitch sitting there chatting with Johanna Mason. When I walk in, they automatically turn to look at me.

"Effie? Is that you?" Johanna asks. She gets and walks over to me. I slowly nod and look up from the ground and into her big brown eyes.

"Yes, Johanna. It's me. I just didn't have time to put any wigs on or any makeup on. I look horrible, don't I?"

"No Effie! You look wonderful! Your hair is so pretty! Seriously!"

"Thanks you." I mutter. I go over to sit next to Haymitch. His eyes are wide and his jaw is dropped. "Haymitch? What's the matter?" He shakes his head and closes his eyes for a minute. "Haymitch?" He opens his eyes and brings his gaze onto my face.

"Nothing is the matter. It's just that….you aren't wearing any makeup. Or your wig. And you look amazing. Your hair is so pretty and without all of your makeup, your eyes pop. I can see what color they are, and without all of your brightly colored wigs and face paint, people can pay attention to your beautiful personality. Seriously, you look absolutely amazing." I can feel myself blushing.

"Why thank you Haymitch. That really meant a lot to me. It was a really big decision for me to come out in public like this." I look at him and a slight smile is spread across his face.

"Anytime. So what are you doing tonight?" Oh my gosh. Is he really going to ask me out to dinner?

"I'm not really doing anything. Why do you ask?" He looks down on his hands.

"Because…..um…I was wondering…would you like to go out tonight? Like to dinner or for a drink? I mean, if you don't want to, it's okay. I mean…."

I cut him off before he has a chance to keep ranting. "Yes, Haymitch, I would love to go out with you tonight. What time should I be ready?"

His eyes widen and he has to shake his head to clear it. "Um maybe around nine or ten? Make sure you wear something nice, something like this. Okay?" I smile and nod. He smiles back and is called into the back room to be interviewed. He winks at me and walks into the room. I giggle and look around the room. Johanna stands there with her hand on her hip and raises an eyebrow.

"What?" she shakes her head and goes to sit down in her chair. I pick a chair next to her and sit down. My insides are fluttering. I can't believe I'm going on a date with Haymitch! Wait, why though? Just this morning the idea of seeing him every day made me sick. Now here I am, swooning over him. I just can't make up my mind, can I?

**A/N: So what did you think of it? Let me know in a review!**


	24. Enobaria

While we are resting at camp, we hear slight rustling to our left. I immediately hop up, grabbing my razor sharp knife. My allies are a bit slower getting up, so by the time all of them have their weapons, I am already creeping towards where the sound was. I stop and look back at them, waiting. I wave my hand urgently, as if to say _hurry up!_ They nod and try to hurry without making noise. I stay where I am until they are near me. Then I begin to walk slowly. I motion for the rest of my team to crouch down. We all do, and we crawl towards a tall shrub. I raise my head above the leaves and see a lone male tribute sorting through a small yellow backpack. He places a small vial on the ground next to a small packet of something. I lower my head and begin to tell the rest of the Career pack what I saw.

"It's a guy. He's sitting there going through a small backpack. It doesn't look like he has much. I only saw a small vial and a small bag of something. He doesn't look like he would put up much of a fight. I think he's from Three." They all nod. "Do you mind if I take him?" They all shake their heads and being to crawl back. I turn back to the shrub and stick my head above the bush again. I hear a stick break and snap my head to see who or what it was. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see it's my district partner, Adax. "What?" I whisper.

"Just make sure you get him good, okay? And Enobaria?" I look into his eyes and raise an eyebrow. "Be careful, okay? Make sure you come back to camp." Then he does something unexpected. He kisses me. He pulls away quickly, his eyes wide, trying to think of what I am going to do to him. I raise my hand and he brings his arms up in front of his face. I lower it and laugh. "Don't do that. Now, just go and get that kid." Adax says. I smile and nod. Then I lay down on the ground and army crawl under the bush.

When I reach the other side of the leaves, I hide my knife in my belt. I don't want the kid to think I'm going to kill him, do I? I get out from under the bush and stand up straight. The kid immediately stands up, a piece of jerky in his hand. I put my hands up and say, "Don't worry; I'm not here to hurt you. I want an ally. The Careers kicked me out. I don't want to be alone here, it's scary." I try to look terrified and wrap my arms around myself. He slowly nods and bends down to put the piece of jerky in his bag. I smile slightly and walk towards him cautiously. He raises his fists slightly, as if to warn me not to play any tricks. I raise my hands again and keep walking.

"Do you have any weapons?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Of course I do. Do you seriously think I'd walk around an arena filled with deadly teenagers without a way to protect myself?" I take out the knife in my belt. He holds out one of his hands and motions for me to give him the knife. "How do I know you're not going to keep it and slit my throat at night?"

"Fine. Chuck it into the woods then. If I don't have a weapon, you don't have one. Okay?" I nod and turn around to throw the knife towards camp. I throw it and hope no one was near enough that they got hit. Luckily, no sounds of pain come from the other side of the bush. I turn back and tilt my hands outward and raise my eyebrows.

"Better?" He nods, smiling. "What's your name by the way? If we're gonna be allies, I would like to call you something. Mine's Enobaria if you were wondering."

"Name's Banter. Enobaria, what type of name is that?" I chuckle.

"Well I'm from District Two, so I really don't know. I just kind of went with it you know? What type of name is Banter?" He smiles and looks down to his hands.

"Well, I'm from District Eight, so I don't know. I just went with it." He smirks and looks at me. I laugh and smile. He returns to packing up his supplies.

_This is my chance,_ I think. While his back is turned. I can kill him now. I slowly get and try not to make any noise. I successfully get up and sneak over to him. I slowly stretch my arms out so they are within an inch of his neck. I fling myself forward and grab Banter's neck.

He makes a choking sound and brings his arms back so they scratch my face. I don't let go of him though. I can feel the blood beginning to seep out of the deep gashes his nails have made. Finally, I am forced to let go. I bring up the hem of my shirt and rub it across my face, trying to wipe the blood off. I look at Banter and he sits there, holding his neck, gasping for air. He turns slowly towards me, getting up, and contempt is clear on his features. I know now there is no going back. I am going to kill him or get killed by him.

We stand there looking at ear other; my amber eyes staring into his dull brown ones. Banter makes the first move, lunging at me and knocking me down. He sits on top of me and punches me in the mouth. I can feel my lower lip spilt open and begin to bleed. I roll over and am now on top of him. I punch him everywhere possible in his face without knocking him out. It wouldn't be fun if my victim was unconscious, would it?

Banter brings his arms up and into my ribs, pushing me off of him. I land on my back, my breath getting knocked out of me for a second. I quickly get up, knowing I don't have any time to rest in a fight like this. I look over to where Banter was a moment ago. He isn't there anymore, but an imprint of where our little tussle happened remains in the high grass. I carefully look around, but I still can't locate him. I keep a look out as I grab some moss from a tree to wipe the blood off of my face. I pull it away and find it soaked. _Great. All I need is another injury,_ I think. I try and locate Banter's bag. Maybe he has some first aid stuff in there. I see it lying about twenty feet from the bush I threw my knife over. It is open and the piece of jerky is still where he put it. I look around once again to make sure Banter isn't there and walk over to the pack. I crouch and go through it, hoping to see some bandages or at least some antiseptic cream. But there isn't anything in there but a pack of jerky, the small vial, a quart water bottle and a small square of cloth. I dump everything out just to make sure, and there isn't anything else. I sigh and throw the contents into the pack, then drop it onto the ground. Then something, or someone, hits me square in the back and sends me flying.

I land on the ground with a _thud_. I begin to cough, trying to rid my lungs of the dirt that entered them. I roll over to see Banter standing there, his eyes alive and wild. He runs towards me, aiming a foot at my nose. I roll to the left just in time. He falls down and I hop up as he does so. Then it is me who aims a foot at his nose. My foot connects and I hear a sharp _crack_. I smirk to myself, knowing I am causing him some pain.

While he is rolling on the ground clutching his now bleeding nose, I am thinking of how to hurt him next. I grin and slowly walk towards him. He is still lying there, trying to wipe the blood off of his bruised and battered face. I jump in front of his face, barely missing his chin. He looks up at me and starts laughing. I get confused, but shake the emotion off. If you are confused, you can't kill properly. I bring my right foot down hard between his legs. He groans loudly and curls into fetal position. Now I can kill him.

I crouch next to him and force him out of the tight ball he has curled into. I place my knees on his arms, keeping them form hitting me. Then I take my hand and put it on his forehead. I put the other on his chest. I force his head up, stretching the skin on his neck almost to the breaking point. I lower my head slowly, kissing his neck. Then I draw my lips back, showing off my perfect white teeth. I smile up to the sky, knowing the cameras will catch it. Then I let out a low growl and bite down on his throat.

I can taste the iron in Banter's blood. He is thrashing around, trying to free his arms from my grip and stop me ripping his neck open. But I bite down even harder and pull my head back sharply. I hear the sound of skin ripping and feel the warm spray of blood on my face and arms. I spit out the still-warm flesh and blood in my mouth and look down on Banter. I can see the back of his throat filling up with blood. I smile, wipe the blood from my mouth, and get up.

Banter's supplies are still sitting where I dropped them. I go over and grab them. Then I go to the bush and drop to my stomach. The leaves get caught in my black hair as I army crawl back to camp. When I emerge from under the bush, I find my allies sleeping. I am confused until I see the sky. It has turned black and a full moon shines, casting odd shadows here and there. I throw the bag near the rest of the packs and settle myself near Adax. Banter's cannon fires and he jerks awake. I rest a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Don't worry. It's just me. I took care of that kid. Sorry it took so long." He smiles when he sees my face. He puts a hand on the back of my neck and pulls me closer. Our lips touch. I pull away a second later and smile. I lie down and put my head on his lap. He starts stroking my hair. And that's how I fall asleep, with my head on Adax's lap and him stroking my hair.


	25. Female Morphling

_Running. That's what I am doing. I'm trying to find my way out of the nightmare. Everywhere I turn I see a different scene, a different way I killed someone. I turn to my left and see myself strangling the poor little thirteen year old from Seven. I whip around to my right and witness a vicious battle between me and two Careers. My spear enters the boy's head and he falls. I have to bring my hands up to my eyes so I don't see myself kill the girl. I turn and run away from the horror, only to have the tributes I killed circle me. All of them are the way I left them after their cannon went off. The thirteen year old has bruises on her neck and her face is blue. I cringe and look over to the Careers. The boy has a huge gaping hole in the middle of his forehead and dried blood covers his face and neck. I hesitate to look at the girl. She has holes all over her body. In her head, in her neck, in her torso, and her limbs. Not an inch of her skin is visible; it is all covered in blood, whether it is dried or shining in the sun. Her hair is plastered to her face and neck by the stuff. Her head is tilted to the right and her breathing is shallow and weak. Yet she and all of my victims creep closer to me, wanting to seek revenge. I crouch down and put my hands over my head. I can feel their hands touching me, trying to claw me to death. I don't uncurl from my position, only clench myself tighter. But when I hear the shing of a sword being pulled from its sheath, I look up. The girl Career has taken a sword from her partner's sheath and is aiming it at my neck._

I feel the tip of it cut into my neck and jerk awake. I look around, expecting to find someone holding a weapon to my neck, threatening to kill me. But I only find darkness. I breathe a sigh of relief and peel the covers off of my sweating body, swinging my legs over the side of my bed. I put my elbows on my thighs and rest my head on my hands. I sit like this until I can feel my limbs stiffening up. Then I get up, turn on my light, and clean my room. I make my bed, fold all of my clean clothes and dump the dirty ones in the hamper. When I look around an hour later, I see the room is sparkling. Not a single hair is out of place. I smile to myself, pleased.

I slowly open my bedroom door and look around. Shadows are cast in all different directions, making the house seem eerie. I run down the hallway to the panel of light switches and turn them all on. At first I am blinded, but then my eyes adjust to the light and I see my house, warm and familiar. It doesn't have the eerie feel to it anymore. I then slowly walk down the hallway, peering into each room and making sure every one of my family is all accounted for and alive. I check my little brother's room first. The door is open a slit, so I push it open slightly and stick my head in. I see his form on the bed, his chest rising slightly with each breath. I close the door and head to my parents room. I hear my mother's breathing and my father's snoring, so I know they are in there. I breathe a sigh of relief and walk downstairs and into the office. I sit down in the plush chair behind the desk and put my head on my hands.

"Why am I like this? Why do I jump at every little shadow and sound?" I mutter to myself. Aren't victors supposed to be safe, free from harm the rest of their lives? Aren't they supposed to enjoy their riches in peace and not wake up shaking from nightmares every night?

I raise my head from my hands and look around. Everything is in its place, just as always, since no one ever comes in here except me. The filing cabinets in the far corner contain all of my life story and newspapers after I won. A huge couch sits opposite of them for when I need to have more than two people in here, which never happens. The desk, where I am sitting now, is in the far corner of the room when you walk in the door. It is mahogany and has built in shelves on either side. Papers are stacked neatly in one corner and a laptop sits on the other. I reach over to it, pull it towards me and open it. It is already on, so all I have to do is type in a password. I click on the tab for ordering supplies. I hesitate for a second, thinking of what I want.

I want something to help me forget, to help me never remember my time in the arena. I don't want to drink, that's a horrible way to forget. You drink yourself into oblivion and then wake up with the worst hangover. I don't want my parents to witness me like that. So that means there is one solution.

Morphling.

It is a pain killer and dulls your emotions. It is usually only used for major injuries, like whippings or breaking a bone. It can also cause hallucinations. But it's what I need. I need this escape from the horrors of my life.

I click on the medicinal drug button and type in morphling. It pops up instantly and I click on it. Wow. It's really pricey. But hey, I'm a victor now and I am too rich, so I can afford it. I click the button for ordering four cases, enough for a year it you ration it well enough. Then I click order and lean back, satisfied. A little _ding_ sounds and a window pops up on the laptop saying it should arrive on the next train to District Six, which is scheduled for tomorrow. _Great, _I think. _I can try some of it when everyone is gone._ Tomorrow is Monday, so my brother goes to school and my parents go work in the automobile factory. I'll take some, and if I don't like it, I can just give it to the hospital.

I slowly get off the chair and walk over to the couch. I lie down and close my eyes. I won't be able to get any sleep in my room, so I guess I'll just try to get some here, with all of the lights on. Eventually, I drift off, only to be awakened by my younger brother, telling me that my mother wants me to eat something before they went to work. So I get up and wander out there, because in about an hour's time, I'll have my morphling, my escape.


	26. Finnick Odair

**A/N: Finally, I am done writing this chapter! Sorry it took so long. It took a while to think of an idea; I must have gone through at least five before this one. I also haven't been all that motivated! So again, sorry, and I hope you like it! **

_I open my eyes quickly, a loud and shrill scream interrupting my thoughts. I stand up and look around, looking for the source. I have a faint idea, who it is, but I am hoping and praying it isn't who I think it is. Another scream cuts through me, making me worried. Now I am sure the screams are Annie's. I begin frantically searching for where she is and why those screams are coming from her._

_Suddenly, bright, white light fills the room I am in. I don't recognize where I am, but I think it's the President's. I turn and see a desk that seems a mile high. On the top of it is a small, tin man with paper white hair. Even from that high up, the smell of blood and roses is unmistakable. I begin to scream at him. _

"_What did you do to her? Don't hurt her! She didn't do anything wrong! Let her go!" But nothing comes out. Even if I try my hardest, no sound will come out. Eventually, I stop. I just look up at him. He peers down at me, smirking. Then he motions to a door I hadn't seen before. It opens, and a Peacekeeper steps out, leading a girl with dark brown hair._

_I immediately run over to her, trying to make sure she is okay. But I can't reach her. Every time I try to touch her, she recedes, like the water going out with the tide. I keep trying though, because nothing will keep me from comforting and protecting Annie Cresta. _

_I eventually give up, knowing all of my efforts are in vain. I look back to the President. He laughs, the sound of it echoing through the room. _

"_Finnick Odair, do you really think you can protect her? That you can shield her from the Capitol, from me? If you do, you are horribly mistaken. She belongs to me, to the Capitol. As do you and every single person living in Panem." I groan and look around. Behind me is a wooden chair. I turn around, grunt, and kick it with such force that it breaks. I turn back to the President, fuming._

"_Now, Finnick. Is that anyway to treat the President's furniture?" He raises an eyebrow and laughs again. "I wanted to remind you of something Mr. Odair. No matter how hard you try, I will __**always**__ win. Always. Now here you go, take your precious Annie and go home with her. Go on." I slowly turn back from the President to Annie. When I see her though, she isn't the girl full of life I know. She is an emotionless corpse. _

_Her skin is too pale, as though she hasn't seen sun in over a year. Her eyes are emotionless and blank. She lies limp in the Peacekeeper's arms. And the worst thing is the trident sticking out of her stomach. It is golden, an exact replica of the one I had in the arena. Blood slowly seeps out from around the metal prongs, staining her all white sun dress._

_I rush over to her, thankful she doesn't recede. I pull the trident from Annie's body and take her from the Peacekeeper's arms. I set her down on the floor and sit next to her. I desperately put my fingers on her neck, searching for a pulse. But instead of feeling the soft beating, I feel nothing. It's as though I am putting my fingers on a marble pillar. Her skin is ice cold, like one of the fishes at the market. I lean down and out my ear to her mouth, hoping to feel at least a little warm breath. But nothing comes out. _

_My chest starts to ache and I feel the warm tears falling down my cheeks. I bring my hand up to wipe them away, but it falls before it can. It lands on Annie's wound. I pull it away and it is coated in the slippery red substance._

_I hear sobs echo throughout the room. I automatically look to Annie to see if she is crying, but she is dead, and corpses can't cry. Then I realize the sobs are my own. _

I wake with a start. The room is pitch black, unlike my nightmare. I reach out to my left to turn on my bedside lamp. It flickers on, illuminating the room. I look to the floor, expecting to find Annie's dead body, but instead find a mess of dirty clothes. I bring my hand to my face, looking for any remnants of blood. None. I wipe my eyes, and feel cold tears. I must have actually been crying. My throat feels torn up, like I have been screaming too much. Then I realize I have been, in my nightmare. I sigh and get up, trying to find a shirt to put on. I pick up one off of the floor and throw it on. It smells of sweat and fish, but I don't care, as no one will see me.

I walk over to my bedroom door and open it, peering outside into the hallway. It is fairly dark, so I open my door all the way, letting some of the light from my room spill into the corridor. I step out and turn left, towards Annie's bedroom. When I get to the door, I open it and go in. I find everything the way it should be, so I go over to Annie to make sure she is okay. She is sleeping on her side, facing the wall. Her chest rises slightly with each slow breath. I walk over to her bed, pull back the covers, and lower myself onto the mattress. I cringe when it squeaks under my weight, worrying that the noise is going to wake Annie. But, thankfully, it doesn't. I pull the covers back over us, and try to get comfortable.

I feel the mattress shift and Annie roll over. She opens her eyes slowly and looks at me.

"Finn? What are you doing here?" Her voice is quiet and raspy. Her eyes are droopy, and she still looks half asleep.

"I had a horrible nightmare, Annie. You died, and I had to make sure you were okay. I know I can't fall asleep in my room, so I came in here. Is it okay if I stay?" She nods slowly and scoots closer to me. I open my arms and she comes closer, resting her head on my chest. She raises her head slightly and brings her lips to mine. We part, and she lays her head back onto my chest. I realize I am still wearing the stinky shirt, so I move her gently and take it off, throwing it near the hamper. I move her back and wrap my arms around her. Already, my eyes feel droopy, and I know I will be asleep soon.

And in less than five minutes, I am asleep, with the love of my life in my arms.


	27. Flavius

I walk into the office, my stomach fluttering like crazy. Today I am being tested to make sure I am ready to work in a prep team for the Hunger Games. I have been studying for over a year now, learning the proper waxing techniques, how to do hair, and how to apply all types of makeup. I have had many tests before, yeah. But today is the deciding factor. If I fail this test, my dream will be ruined.

I walk in and head over to my station. All of my makeup and supplies are laid out in perfect order. I graze my hands over them, feeling the smooth containers. Then I sit in my chair and wait for my instructor to get here.

Twenty minutes later, he walks in. He puts down his bag and his clipboard and goes over to the podium, which houses a microphone attached to speakers on each of our stations. He begins speaking into it, and his voice comes out of the little black boxes implanted in the borders of the mirror.

"Welcome students! Today we are going to be taking your final test which determines if you are going to be in a prep team for the Hunger Games!" Loud cheering and clapping comes from all over the room, but I am too scared and nervous to cheer. "Now, now. This is how the exam is going to go. First, our models will line up, and you have to go over and find the model matching the number on your mirror. Then you will lead him or her back to the station and begin your work. A photo what the model will be wearing is going to be in the left drawer. I want you all to do his or her makeup, hair and nails according to the picture. Make sure they match and go well together. At the end of the five hours, your work will be judged not only by me, but by two other judges as well. Now, onto the test. I wish you all luck and," A small giggle escapes his lips, "May the odds be _ever_ in your favor!"

As soon as he finishes talking, all of us rush up the line of models. The number on my mirror was 13, so I go down the line until I reach a beautiful woman. She looks to be about twenty, if not younger. Long red hair flows down her back, and piercing green eyes rest on clear ivory skin. I sigh inwardly, thinking how lucky I have been to get such a pretty model.

I bring her back to my station and open the left drawer and pull out the picture. It is the model, unmade up, but in a stunning emerald green mermaid-style dress. It seems to be made of silk. It only has one strap, and on the seam that connects the strap with the dress is a line of diamonds.

I step back and look at the model, then back to the picture. I pick up her hand to look at her nails. I cringe when I see them. It looks as though she bites her nails, and often. I sigh and go over to the station. I grab a pack of fake nails and glue, and begin attaching them to what is left of her nails. Once they are all on and dry, I pick up a bottle black nail polish. Usually I wouldn't dare use black nail polish unless it was with a neon color, but I can't think of a better color to match the dress. I carefully paint all ten of her nails and let them dry.

While they are drying, I begin her makeup. I don't have to do much about her eyebrows, except for a few stray hairs. I pluck them quickly and move onto the foundation. I add a bit of bronzer to make her face glow. Then I put a little blush on to give her pale face some color. For her lips, I add a light coating of a neutral brown and then some gloss on top of it. Next, I move onto her eyes. I line them with black eyeliner. Then I glue on some fake lashes. I step back to see if I should add the "smokey eye" look. I decide against it though, because her eyes pop enough as it is.

I check on her nails, and see they are dry. I rush over to the table containing the materials not a lot of people can get their hands on. I pick up a small cup and fill it with emeralds and diamonds, then head back over to my station. There I line the tip of her nails with alternating diamonds and emeralds.

Next I move onto her hair. I stand there trying to decide what to do with it. I lead her over to the washing stations and wash her red hair. I work in some smoothing serum, making her hair ultra-smooth and shiny. I lead her back to the station and take out my scissors. I begin to cut her hair until it is just below her shoulders. I also give her side bangs, as opposed to the normal ones she has now. Then I dry her hair and brush it. I look over to the clock and see the five hours is almost up. I quickly go through the drawer with hair accessories in it and find a small barrette that had emeralds and obsidian on it. I clip it right above her left ear so that the hair on that side is pulled back slightly.

Just as I smooth the right side of her hair down, the buzzer sounds, signaling that the testing time is over. I sigh and start cleaning my station while waiting for the judges to come to my row. Instead though, I hear my teacher's voice through the small speakers telling us to clean up and leave. My heart thumps as I clean and pack up. I haul my bags out of the room and into the taxi waiting to take me back to my apartment.


	28. Foxface

I am so hungry. I haven't had any food since the feast. My stomach growls loudly. I really hope no one is close enough to hear it. I am trudging through the woods, trying to find some food. I fall to my knees and crawl. I almost faint, but I have to keep going, for my younger brother.

I reach a point where a sheet of plastic is laying on a flat rock. On the sheet lay a plum sized blob of cheese, two apples, two rolls, and a bushes worth of midnight black berries. A slight breeze wafted the scent of cheese in my direction. I just can't resist. I sneak up to the sheet, trying to avoid any sticks or leaves. I pinch off a glob of the squishy deliciousness. I also take about twenty or so berries and head back to my hiding spot under the low overhang of two pine trees.

I nibble on the cheese until it is all gone. Then I decide to eat the berries. I swallow them whole. What happens next, well, let's just say was majorly unexpected.

As soon as I swallow, a burning pain explodes in my throat. I start coughing, and I can't stop. I try to vomit up the berries, but it's too late. The burning spreads to my chest. My mind is woozy. How could something so sweet be so deadly? I manage to make my way to the stream to gulp down water. As soon as I bring my hands full of water to my mouth, I black out. I think about my younger brother. I think, "I'm so sorry I failed I'm so sorry I didn't win. I love you." Then, I die.

_My little brother, who I loved so dearly, would go onto be the only one welcoming my body home in its wooden box. He would be the only one there when I was buried. He would be in the community home watching the District 12 victors blow out the Quarter Quell arena. He would also be one of the over ten thousand children killed when the Peacekeepers opened fire for no reason. He would go on to meet me so we could live together in peace. Forever._


	29. Fulvia

"Fulvia? Write down the people we want to be filmed for the propos." I nod and walk over to get a piece of paper and a pencil. I go back over to the table, sit down, and nod to tell Plutarch he can begin listing names.

"Well we obviously need Katniss, Gale, and Finnick. I would also say Peeta and Johanna, but seeing as we don't have them in thirteen…" He looks at me to confirm I wrote everything down, and I nod. I look down to the paper and see the three names in small, messy writing. I decide to write down Peeta and Johanna under a "maybe" category. Plutarch grabs the paper and looks over it. He nods in approval and hands it back to me.

"I think we are all good here. Fulvia, can you enter that into one my computer? I need it to be somewhere where it can't get lost."

"Sure thing. But Plutarch, where is your computer?" He looks around and pulls ton of paper and books off of the machine. He points to it and motions for me to get on it. "It's unlocked, so you shouldn't have any problem, okay?" I nod once again and open the program for typing documents. I carefully type in the names and click "save". I turn away from the computer and stand up. I crumple the paper into a little ball and throw it in the garbage bin in the corner. I look back to the table, and see the natives from thirteen giving me dagger eyes.

"What? Is there something wrong?" I desperately look around. Finally, an older man with a salt and pepper beard speaks up.

"Did you seriously just throw that paper away? It only had a few words on it. We could have re-used it! That is such a waste!" I can feel my cheeks burning, and I know my face is turning red.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I d-d-didn't know. I won't do it again." He nods slowly, gets up, and walks out. The other people from thirteen walk out also, but not before making me feel like I just committed a major crime by walking past and whispering things.

As soon as they leave, I feel tears building up in my eyes. I look over to Plutarch and he walks over to comfort me.

"Don't be sad Fulvia. You didn't know. You only came here recently, where as they have been here all their lives and are used to using every item as much as possible. You aren't. Don't hold on to that. Okay?" I nod. He smiles and I smile weakly back. He pats my back and walks out. I collect my clipboard and follow him out into the hall.


End file.
